Bears finding motivation to end season on a good note

LAKE FOREST — When the Chicago Bears finish Sunday’s game in Minnesota, they finish their season as well.

Jay Taft

LAKE FOREST — When the Chicago Bears finish Sunday’s game in Minnesota, they finish their season as well.

That’s not an easy thought to overlook for a full week. But the Bears say they have not run short of motivation.

“I know if I go out there and stink it up on Sunday,” defensive back D.J. Moore said, “I might not come back next year.”

The Bears (7-8) also don’t want to end the season with a six-game losing streak. Their skid hit five last week when they were torched by five touchdown passes from Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay.

“That was not the way we wanted to close things out,” Moore said. “Now, you want to start the year off right. We want momentum going into next year.”

The offense seemed to build a little last week in third-stringer Josh McCown’s first start at quarterback. McCown threw for 242 yards — more than Caleb Hanie the previous two weeks combined — and the Bears gained 441 total yards of offense.

But they didn’t win, and now the playoffs are a lost cause.

“It’s tough to be in this situation, but luckily for us it’s only been one week,” receiver Roy Williams said. “A lot of teams have been at this thing for 10, 11 weeks now, knowing that they’re playing for nothing.

“This is a good football team. We’re fighters and we’ll keep fighting. We want to try and end this year and start the new one off with a win.”

Charles Tillman provided one of Chicago’s few recent bright spots when the ninth-year cornerback was selected to his first Pro Bowl this week. He said the Bears could use a teamwide bright spot.

“You have to finish on a high note,” Tillman said. “We have to work toward next year. I know we’re not playing for a Super Bowl this year, since we got knocked out of the playoffs, but I still think there’s a lot to play for.”

Like pride, momentum heading into the offseason, job security and respect?

“Yeah, all of that stuff, “ Moore agreed, “and more.”

In the end, it’s actually quite simple. At least for Moore it is.

“You have a job to do, and until the season’s over, you’ve got to do your job,” Moore said.

The Bears’ job now is to end a five-game losing skid — and only then put the season to rest.

Bears reporter Jay Taft can be reached at 815-987-1384 or jtaft@rrstar.com.

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